Votes at a glance: committee approves ordinance, national settlement participation, BID creation and legacy trail grant match

At its Aug. 27 meeting the Rapid City Legal and Finance Committee approved several routine but consequential items in addition to larger TIF actions.

Ordinance amendment to municipal code: On second reading the committee approved Ordinance No. 6685, an amendment to the Rapid City Municipal Code that adds chapter 8.54 to prohibit the purchase, sale or offering for sale of “gas station heroin and related products” (as described in the ordinance text presented at the meeting). The committee approved the ordinance on a motion; no named opposition was recorded in the meeting minutes for this item.

Opioid settlement participation: The committee authorized the mayor to sign documentation allowing the city to join the Purdue Pharma direct opioid settlement. The motion to approve was made by Councilwoman Seacrest and seconded by Councilmember Temang and passed unanimously at the committee level.

Business Improvement District No. 2: Committee members approved the introduction and first reading of Ordinance No. 6690 creating Business Improvement District No. 2. Councilwoman Meyer abstained from the vote, which otherwise carried.

Legacy Trail grant application and local match: The committee approved a resolution supporting an application to the South Dakota Department of Transportation for the Legacy Trail project through the Transportation Alternatives Program grant. Staff told the committee the project has an approximately $800,000 grant ask and requires a roughly $180,000 local match; the match would come from unallocated funds in the city’s CIP account (primarily additional interest income that has not been allocated) and was not previously budgeted. The committee approved the resolution following brief questions about where the match would be sourced and confirmation that the grants division had pursued the opportunity.

Budget and appropriation procedural action: The committee approved a procedural resolution of intent to take the statutorily authorized increase in property tax revenue as part of the 2026 annual appropriation ordinance (motion approved; chair later recorded a no vote on a related item). A second reading of the proposed fiscal year 2026 appropriation ordinance (Ordinance No. 6686) was discussed and the committee voted to send the item to council without recommendation to allow further changes during a scheduled budget hearing.

Votes at a glance (selected): - Ordinance No. 6685 (second reading, municipal code amendment): approved by committee (no named opposition recorded). - Purdue Pharma settlement participation: approved (motion by Seacrest, second by Temang). - Ordinance No. 6690 (business improvement district No. 2, first reading): approved with one abstention (Councilwoman Meyer). - Legacy Trail TAP grant support and local match (~$800,000 grant, ~$180,000 local match): resolution approved; staff said match would come from unallocated CIP funds. - Fiscal year 2026 appropriation ordinance (Ordinance No. 6686): committee voted to send to full council without recommendation to permit further changes.